


Backseat Driver

by keepleaves



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Comedy, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Fluff, Getting Together, I have no idea what I'm doing at any time, Lighthearted, M/M, Soft Boys, Unresolved Sexual Tension, cheesy af, how do I English, in-universe, inspired by brooklyn 99, rating is entirely for language, what are endings and how do they work?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-24
Updated: 2019-04-24
Packaged: 2020-01-25 16:53:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,947
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18578632
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/keepleaves/pseuds/keepleaves
Summary: "Oh, the bet," Connor says at his normal volume. "Detective Reed and Nines have had a bet going on since Nines arrived at the Precinct. They want to see who can make the most arrests.""If I lose," Gavin explains to Hank, loudly, making sure everybody can hear, "Nines gets my car.""And you?" Hank nods at Nines."If I lose," Nines says, "I have to spend twenty-four hours in Detective Reed's car."A bet, the punishment, and the aftermath in which an android and a human learn to be a little less lonely.





	Backseat Driver

"Dick!" Gavin slams his hands down on the desk.

"Asshole," Nines replies, not bothering to look up from his terminal.

“That's not my name," Gavin bites out, and has the audacity to look offended.

"And neither is 'Dick', but that's what you called me," Nines says, his LED remaining a cool blue. Gavin's best efforts have gotten under the skin of much better people. It's infuriating how unperturbed he remains.

"Move it." Gavin doesn't wait for an answer, sliding over some of the paperwork on Nines' desk so he can take a seat. "We have less than 24 hours left on our bet. You ready?"

"Of course. I'm ready to watch you lose," Nines shoots back, bringing up their tallies on his palm to show Gavin the score of 82 to 81. Gavin wants to punch the overconfident smile off his face. Not that it would do him any good. He knows from experience that Nines wouldn't even flinch. He does however, take great satisfaction in watching the surprise register on Nines' face as the counter changes right on his projection to 82-82. "I solved one last night," Gavin smugly notes as Nines' eyes narrow into slits. Just like that, their positions have switched, and he can tell Nines reigns himself in with his stupid professionalism to not punch Gavin in the face.

Hank stands by with idle curiosity, nudging Connor with his free arm. "What bet?" he asks, keeping his voice low to avoid Gavin accusing him of being nosy.

"Oh, the bet," Connor says at his normal volume. Both Gavin and Nines' head snap up at his voice. "Detective Reed and Nines have had a bet going on since Nines arrived at the Precinct. They want to see who can make the most arrests."

"Explains Reed's productivity," Hank notes, mulling over last year's work.

"If I lose," Gavin explains to Hank, loudly, making sure everybody can hear, "Nines gets my car."

"Your _car?_ " Hank's eyebrows shoot up. "Reed, that's a big ass bet you got going on there. For fuck's sake, he doesn't even need a car!"

"Not worried about it," Reed calls back, setting his feet up on his desk. "Not gonna lose."

“And you?" Hank nods at Nines.

"If I lose," Nines says, "I have to spend twenty-four hours in Detective Reed's car." Hank swears he can see Nines suppressing a shudder.

"What? That's…not bad. I mean, 'cept it being Reed's."

"I don't believe, Lieutenant, you've seen the interior of his car." Nines shakes his head. "I don't think he's cleaned it in well over a year--"

"We're in a drought!"

"The outside or the inside," Nines continues, ignoring Gavin's lie. "It would not surprise me if there were a feral animal living in it."

"Wait, hold on," Hank leans in, confused, "You're saying you've worked here for a year, and you've never ridden with Reed to _any_ crime scene?"

"I choose to take a self-driving police car." Nines stares down Gavin from across their desks.

"Huh. Your brother's real different than you, Connor." Hank and Connor share a furtive smile.

"Don't sit on the desks, Reed," Captain Fowler doesn't look at either pair of Detectives as he strides into his glass office. Gavin and Nines automatically look at each other as they have the same thought, but Gavin's quicker to move, practically leaping off the desk to run after Fowler. Nines rises at the same time, not bothering to push his chair in as he speed walks after Gavin. Gavin, of course, has never regarded professionalism as necessary. He sprints into Fowler's office, holding the handle in place as Nines attempts to tug it open from the other side.

"Good morning, Captain," Gavin says with a falsely cheery voice that gains him an immediate disgusted look from Fowler. Gavin ignores it, keeping his hand on the handle of the door and stretching out his foot to pull a chair over. He grabs it with his other hand, placing it in front of the door and taking a seat as Nines tries to enter.

"It opens the other way, idiot," Nines hisses out at him.

"So what? You're too professional to climb over the chair to get into the office," Gavin hisses back. "Captain," he picks up in his normal voice where he left off, "Have I ever told you what an honor it is to work under your leadership?"

Fowler stares at the two of them. "Reed, get the hell out of my office. I'm not giving you more cases to help you win this stupid bet."

"What bet?" Gavin asks, the picture of innocence. "Oh, right, the bet, I totally forgot--"

Fowler holds his hand to stop Gavin from continuing. "Granted, this 'friendly competition' has led to you and Nines putting in more hours and arresting more perps. However, you are colleagues. And the fallout from this bet has the potential to put a strain on your professional relationship."

"There's no 'relationship' here, Captain," Gavin presses his lips together. "We're just…" He struggles to find the words, determined to not look at Nines. "Whatever." Gavin gets out of the chair and leaves the office, knocking into Nines on the way out. Nines refrains from rolling his eyes, pushing the chair back to his proper spot.

"Good morning, Captain Fowler. I was wondering if--"

"OUT."

* * *

Nines comes back to the DPD at 16:57, perp in cuffs as drags him by Gavin's desk. "Detective Reed," he says, and this time he makes sure he's loud enough that everyone can hear, "I present to you Raymond Laudson, who stole three thousand dollars. I take the lead with three minutes left." He leans in, whispering. "Suck it, Gavin." He throws crass vocabulary he's picked up from Gavin's many insults back at him. "Do you know what I'm going to do to your car? I'm going to crush it into a tiny cube and use it as a foot rest under my desk."

Gavin remains unmoved. "Oh no," he says, monotone. The severe lack of reaction has Nines tilting his head in confusion.

Gavin stands, lazy, looking around to confirm that everyone is paying attention. "First, never say 'suck it' again, it sounds weird and unnatural from you." Nines squints at him, but Gavin continues on. "Second, Robert!" Nines turns around as Officer Lewis and Officer Person bring in a group of men, all handcuffed together, a much more impressive parade than his one arrest. "I ran a prostitution through Vice. Got arrested thirty guys for soliciting."

"That's not a felony." Nines is quick to point out, jabbing a finger into Gavin's chest.

"It is if it’s your second offense. Which is the case for ten of these guys. So that's ten more for me." Gavin stares him down. "I don’t know how you'll catch up with…" He makes a big show of checking his phone's clock. "Seventeen seconds left." He loves it, catching Nines off guard like this. His face has been carefully schooled into its icy neutrality, but his mouth is open as he flounders for a response.

"Five...four...three...two...one." Gavin counts out, and he's met with laughter and applause.

Officer Chen comes by to take Raymond into holding as Nines sinks into his seat, defeated. Gavin saunters over, giving him a clap on the shoulder that's hard enough to shake him. "So, see you tomorrow morning?" He leans in to whisper into his ear. "Suck it, Nines."

* * *

"I cannot _believe_ , " Nines says between gritted teeth, "You chose to volunteer for overtime just to come in today. We could have done this on Monday, you know." He brought his mini terminal out with him. There is nothing to do in a car for twenty-four hours other than work.

"Nah." Gavin shrugs, sliding out of the driver's seat of his car. "Besides, it's not really overtime," he indicates at the tablet in Nines' hands. "I get to sit in the bullpen and do nothin' while you're stuck out here doing all my work for me." Gavin tosses the keys at Nines, who catches them with one hand. "After you." Nines slides into the backseat of the car, beginning to set up his work station.

"You do realize that I could just take your car and leave," Nines tells him, trying to ignore how his terminal stays suspiciously balanced on the console in between the front seat, "And you wouldn't even know it."

"You could, but I know you won't." Gavin gives him a pointed look. "Your ethics won't let you. Besides, I could look out here at any time and I'd be able to see if you were in here or not." Nines closes his eyes and leans back, immediately regretting it as he pulls away and his jacket peels away from the seat. "Anyway, see you in a few hours."

Nines opens his eyes as he hears the car door closing, and he's left staring at the ceiling as Gavin walks away. "Seriously? How do you even get coffee up there?"

 ~

Connor sidles up behind Gavin after a few hours. "Detective Reed?"

Gavin barely looks up from his phone. "Sup?"

"Is Nines in the parking lot?" Connor's LED cycles yellow, and Gavin's worked enough with the androids to know that Connor's concerned about something.

"Yeah, why? Can't you just contact him with your…" he taps the side of his head with his finger "You know?"

"I can, but…" Connor sighs, a human feature, one that Nines hasn't fully picked up on yet. Gavin isn't used to it. "It's nothing, never mind, Detective."

"Spit it out!"

"I just thought you'd want to see him in action, so to speak," Connor stops, like he doesn't know if his words are helping or hurting. "So I assumed you would be out there with him."

"He doesn't need me to babysit him." Gavin tosses his phone onto the desk and crosses his arms over his chest.

"You're right, he doesn't," Connor agrees, "But I thought the whole point of a bet was to watch him do something he greatly dislikes."

Gavin says nothing, drumming his fingers on his arm. "I make an appearance, do nothin', and get some good credit for doing over time. I don't need to be watching Nines to do that." His answer is evasive, he knows it.

"But," Connor adds, "You're getting restless." Gavin stops tapping his fingers. He fucking hates it when they do that, the body scanning or analyzing or whatever it is. He's not supposed to be this transparent. "You should go out there and work with him. Or take him somewhere. He doesn't get out much, you know, he stays here most of the time."

Gavin makes a noise of acknowledgement, and he regards Connor for a moment with a lack of hostility Connor hasn't seen often. Connor understands that their conversation is over and heads back to his own desk, leaving Gavin with his thoughts. Connor's right, as always. He's not feeling terribly accomplished by sitting here and doing nothing. As important as appearances are, he still likes his job and most of the things it entails. Even paperwork had been bearable when he was paired with Nines.

"God dammit," he mutters to himself, and he's about to get up before he gets an idea. He pulls up his shitty imaging program, stopping by to grab it out of the printer before pulling on his jacket and heading back into the parking lot.

 ~

"You're back," Nines blinks at Gavin, who's sliding into the driver's seat.

"Yeah. Well. Looked bad just sitting at my desk so I came out here, " he lies. Gavin twists around to look at Nines. "Uncomfortable, yet?"

"Immeasurably," Nines responds, taking his hand off the terminal. "If I had known how uncomfortable I could feel, I wouldn't have deviated."

Gavin snorts out his laughter. "This isn't the worst thing ever, Nines."

"It might be." But there's no real malice behind his words; his eyes have a mischievous glint behind them that makes Gavin grin. He didn't know what to make of it. That was Gavin's fault, he'll admit. He keeps everyone at arm's length as a rule and a habit, though that arm was tempted to pull Nines in closer, sometimes. He can't explain it. Most people didn't take kindly to being held at a distance, but Nines hadn't minded. Nines also hadn't taken any shit from Gavin. He'd stood his ground, pushing back at times, but he'd never intentionally pushed Gavin over an unrecoverable edge. They'd reached an unspoken truce. Co-conspirators, that's what Gavin had privately been referring to their pairing as.

"I'm about to make it worse for you." Gavin passes the printed paper over his shoulder. "You gotta hold that up to the window every time I make a stop somewhere." he says, meeting Nines' gaze in the rear view mirror. "Don't want anybody ruining my car and calling me an pet abuser." He starts the car, leaving Nines' LED on red.

 ~

Gavin reemerges from the store, stopping to admire the sight of Nines glaring at him through the windshield with his makeshift sign held against the window.

PLEASE DON'T BREAK THE WINDOW. THE A/C IS ON. HE HAS WATER AND IS LISTENING TO HIS FAVORITE MUSIC.

Gavin throws his head back and laughs, ignoring the odd looks the people walking by are giving him, and the even more contemptuous look Nines is giving him. He whips his phone out to snap a quick picture, immediately sending it to the officers are the Precinct.

"I was gonna go through the drive-thru, but I thought this was funnier," Gavin says around a mouthful of food, once he's settled into his seat. Nines hasn't moved out of the backseat, arms and legs both crossed. "Do you want some? Oh, right, you can't eat!" Gavin laughs again, and Nines just lets out a long suffering sigh.

"It wasn't funny the first time, and it's still not funny this time."

"Kinda is, though." Gavin balls up the wrapper and tosses it in his back seat, where it bounces off of Nines' lap and onto the floor. Nines nudges it away with his foot, and Gavin likes to think he's the only one who can recognize the disdain on his face. He should know; Nines has given him that look before.

His phone rings, vibrating extra loud from the plastic of the cup holder, and Gavin snatches it up before Nines can take over. "Detective Reed," he answers.

"Reed, I assume you're with Nines. Are you guys still in the parking lot?" Fowler doesn't sound angry, oddly enough.

"We are not. Went on break, actually."

"Good. While you're out, I need you to go investigate something for me," Fowler says, and Gavin reaches back to smack Nines' knees to get his attention as he fumbles with his phone.

"You're on speaker phone, Captain."

"I need you to tail a suspect. We're still gathering evidence, so neither of you are to engage." There's a significant pause on the other end of the phone. "Do you understand, Reed?"

"Yeah, I got it! Jeez!" Gavin throws an annoyed look at his phone as though it could translate over the phone lines.

"Good. I'm sending the location to you, Nines."

"Yes, Captain."

Fowler hangs up without much as a goodbye. Gavin turns around and looks at Nines, who blinks rapidly at the incoming information flooding his HUD. "Got it?"

"Yes. I'll navigate."

Gavin, for once, thinks before he opens his mouth to speak to Nines. "Look, will you come sit up in the front? I feel like I'm your fucking chauffeur or something."

Nines weighs his options for a moment before answering. "No."

"The fuck? Why not?" Gavin's eyebrows knit together, and he leans farther into the back seat.

Nines leans forward to meet him halfway, a small smile playing on his lips. "Because now I know it bothers you. And besides, _you're_ not back here."

Gavin lets out a string of swear words that Nines files away for later as they speed off into the car, and his smile grows wider.

* * *

 "So, Connor mentioned something to me before I left the station," Gavin starts, breaking their silence. The setting sun outside dyes everything a shade of orange, though it doesn't affect how white of Nines' hand is, still connected to his terminal. "You don't leave at the end of the day? Why not?"

Nines does an automatic scan of their area for the stakeout, making sure they aren't missing their target before he answers. "Nowhere to go," he states, simply.

"Nobody's forcing you to be there. Don't we got labor laws about android work now, or some shit?"

"It's not that," Nines explains, and this time he takes his hand completely off to give Gavin his full attention. He sticks his tongue out of the corner of his mouth in thought, and it's so endearing that Gavin finds he has the patience to wait for a proper answer. "Imagine waking up in the middle of nowhere, a fully formed adult. You know how to talk, walk, social protocols, and how the world works, but essentially, you don't have any knowledge of who you actually are. You don't understand why you might like something, or not like something. You might understand what emotions you have at their bare basics labels, but you might not understand why they make you react to certain ways. Some people cry when they're angry. It might happen to an android, but they don't understand why, logically, it happens, because they know crying is supposed to be a 'sad' emotion, and it frustrates them even more." Nines stops to let Gavin take all the information in, and his LED cycles gold, over and over again, as he talks. "Deviancy is new to me. I don't really know where to begin. I don't know how to start exploring what options I have or what the possibilities exist. I’ve tried to go to places around the station at night that are within walking distance to see what I can learn, but it’s not much. So…I simply don't.  It's easier to not, until I assess all the factors of it."

Gavin looks shocked, but Nines thinks he may have misread his reaction when Gavin lets out a bark of laughter. It's forced, he can tell that much, but Gavin continues, and Nines waits.

"Oh, oh, this is _too good_ ," Gavin chokes out, and Nines' LED is stuck on yellow. "Mr. Perfecter Android 2.0, Mr. 'everybody is inferior so they can suck my dick', a 'droid who's supposed to replace everyone on the force can't deal with putting himself out there."

"That's not an actual word," Nines mutters between Gavin's cackling. "It's not how android algorithms work. It's difficult to find a pattern in emotions. You wouldn't understand."

Gavin notices the LED flickering with flashes of amber, but out of hurt or shame, he doesn't know. Gavin lets out the remnants of laughter before regarding Nines at least semi-seriously. "Why don't you learn from an actual person then, huh? C'mon." Nines gives him that look, the one where he's missed something incredibly obvious. "What?"

"I wanted to," he says, not looking at Gavin, "But look how you reacted."

"Christ." Gavin looks away, too. There’s a few minutes of silence before Gavin breaks it again, wanting to fix the gap he’s created. “That’s part of being human, though.”

“What is?”

“Finding yourself. Getting fucked up on the way. Just happens like that sometimes.” Gavin sighs, playing with the zipper on his jacket so he doesn’t have to meet Nines’ eyes. Nines isn’t looking directly at him, but glances at his reflection in the glass of the window.

"I'm sure," is all Nines says. He wants to ask about it. He wants to ask about the part of Gavin that wants to help, the part that can admit he's got the experience to back it up. It's hidden under abrasive layers that tear apart anybody who even tries to get close, under a tough exterior that refuses to yield to the vulnerability underneath, even when Gavin wants it to.

"It's easier when you have people to do it with," Gavin says. The words come out of his mouth without much thought. "Family, friends, coworkers."

Nines regards him carefully before speaking. "Does that mean we're friends, then?"

Gavin sputters out the water he'd been drinking. "What? What? No. Hell, no. Shut the fuck up." Gavin attempts to throw his regular bite into the words, but he chokes, and he hates that Nines knows him well enough to see it. Arm's length, his ass. Nines' had been encroaching closer and Gavin had let him, and his attempt to push him away only left him with nagging guilt.

Nines' attention focuses out of the car, and Gavin follows. "There's the fucker. You got him?" He can practically hear the whirring of the mechanisms behind Nines' eyes. He stays silent until their target disappears from sight.

"Got it."

"Nice." Gavin sighs. "Let's get the fuck outta here, then." He's antsy to drive, as though he can outrun the lingering atmosphere he's created.

They drive for a short while, Nines uploading his footage in the meantime, though he stops suddenly, his head emerging from the backseat.

"Detective Reed," he starts, a plan formulating behind his stoic demeanor, and Gavin almost jumps at the sound of his voice. "Could I ask you for a favor?"

"Whuzzat?"

"Could you teach me how to drive?"

"…You don't know how to drive?" Gavin deadpans. He honestly can't tell if it's a lie or not.

"I do not," Nines says. "I was freed in the middle of the revolution, and Cyberlife hadn't finished programming me. I take the self-driving cars for a reason, Detective Reed."

"But…" Gavin tries to find any holes in Nines' stories, but he can't. It's true, he's never seen Nines behind the wheel of any car, and according to what he knows about the Cyberlife timeline, Nines was freed right after the revolution. It feels like a trick, but he doesn't have any proof. "All right, fine!" He pulls a hard left, trying to find an empty lot for them to practice. The turn sends Nines sliding across the seat into the door, out of view of the rearview mirror, where Gavin could have notice the second smile blooming on Nines' face.

 ~

"Okay, so," Gavin leans over into Nines' space, pointing down at the pedals on the floor. "Three different pedals. Left one is the clutch, middle one is the brake, right one is the gas. In a weakass car, there's only two pedals, but I drive a stick. None of this self-driving bullshit." Nines stares down at the mechanisms, filtering through Gavin's ramblings. He nods through his instructions, starting the car, letting Gavin go through the motions of teaching (which he's surprisingly good at, Nines notes, though he doesn't have much to base it on) as he waits for his opening.

"Try going around the corner of the building," Gavin suggests, and Nines drives as instructed.

"Detective Reed?" Gavin looks up at him, and Nines keeps his gaze locked onto Gavin's as he floors it, peeling out into the street as Gavin screeches into the night.

* * *

 "Mother _fucker_ ," Gavin wheezes out as Nines rolls to a stop at a red light. "Motherfucker!" He says again, holding his face in his hands. "How-- what the--"

"I lied," Nines says, neatly.

"I can fucking see that!" Gavin reaches out and punches Nines' in the arm, hard enough that he can feel the plastic protest under his synth skin and enough to crack his knuckles, but it hurts Gavin's pride more than anything. "How did you even drive that fast? What, did you so some kind of android hacking shit on the stop lights--"

"By pushing the pedal down," Nines says, and his sarcasm earns himself another punch from Gavin. "I calculated where the green lights would be according to the traffic light system patterns," Nines explains, going at a much more reasonable pace that doesn't make Gavin feel like he's six again and going to die on a roller coaster he snuck onto because he wasn't tall enough. "So I was able to make it to the freeway without stopping. So, yes, 'android hacking', if that's what you would like to call it."

"You didn't even keep your eyes on the damn road--"

"Self-driving vehicles don't get into accidents. Statistically, the accident rate is 1%, and that 1% is always due to a human driver driving a manual car." Nines gives him a significant look that Gavin huff at.

"Goddammit." Gavin had been too busy focusing on whether he had his affairs in order if he had gone into a coma to notice, but he swears that Nines drifted his car around several corners. Fuck that. He probably has to go get his tires changed later. "Fuck!" He swears one last time. "Gimme back my seat, I wanna drive--"

Nines hums. "No, thank you."

"It's _my_ fucking car!"

"Yes, but I don’t want to get out of the car. That voids our bet."

"You got into the driver's-- oh. You climbed in through the middle on purpose so you wouldn't have to leave the car." Gavin smacks his head repeatedly on the headrest, the gentle thumping only fueling Nines' amusement. "Can you just climb back there again?"

"Like I said, no, thank you."

Gavin closes his eyes and rubs at them with the heels of his palms, watching the bursts of color behind his eyelids. "Okay. I have a solution that may be a good compromise. Get back on the freeway, take the Woodward exit, and I'll tell you where to go from there."

* * *

Nines pulls onto the top of the overlook, turning off the car engine. He waits for an explanation, but Gavin offers none, opting to climb out of the passenger seat instead, gesturing at Nines to get out of the car. Nines shakes his head.

"Oh, c'mon, Nines," Gavin sighs. "Look, I promise, I'll count it as time towards the bet."

"That seems like cheating," Nines responds, but he's intrigued by the mystery behind what they're doing here.

"No-- just get out. Look, it'll count if you keep in contact with the car. Keep one hand on it or somethin'; I told you, we'll call it a compromise." Nines considers his proposal, almost rejecting it, but then Gavin adds a "Please?" and he folds without much more prompting.

They stand side by side, leaning against the door of the car, Gavin gazing out into the city lights. Nines automatically scans him, and it seems his stress levels have calmed considerably since his joyride. Even so, Gavin's still a touch jittery. His arms are crossed over his chest in an attempt to hide it, but Nines can see him vibrating, tightly coiled like a spring. It may be from the cold, but Nines doubts it.

"Where are we?" He asks in the middle of a location scan. "Sunset Point on Belle Isle…" He answers his own question, stealing a glance at Gavin. "“Detective Reed, why are we here? You're not even using your phone. The one time you left it behind, Hank almost convinced me to put an APB out for a missing officer.”  Nines sniffs haughtily at the thought of wasting resources, but Gavin remembers Hank cracking up at his desk.

He's ignored, a calculated choice on Gavin's part, but Nines won't push. He knows better to pick his battles with Gavin. It's not so much a battle this time as it is a waiting game.

"I just like it here." The reply comes out of Gavin, rushed, tense, as though if he says it fast enough, Nines won't hear the sincerity behind it. It's an apology for earlier, a deliberate reveal of something raw and true from Gavin that he's not willing to put words to. These moments of reality with Gavin are rare, and Nines savors them, stores them in the back of his memories for safekeeping. He likes this one, especially.

Gavin picks his feet up off the ground, kicking up the dust around them. Without warning, he climbs up the side of the car, arranging himself onto the hood of the car so there's room for Nines. Nines doesn't know if he should follow. It feels like a breach of something with a quiet understanding that things won't be the same, but Gavin turns and looks at him like he's stupid, and Nines is quick to take a seat next to him.

"This is intensely on brand for you, Detective," Nines breaks the silence this time, and Gavin tilts his head towards Nines, not taking his eyes off the city skyline.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Nines expected an accusatory question, but it sounds more curious coming from Gavin this time.

"It's just…you," Nines stops to collect his thoughts. "You spent the day trying to put on a show, trying to impress others, but in the end, you need to be alone."

"Is that what you think?" Gavin laughs, but it's not malicious this time. "Maybe."

"Is that why you said what you did earlier? 'It's easier when you have people to do it with'. You would know." It dawns on Nines that it might not be a need as much as it is an adaptation. Nines can feel the defensive wall growing between them, and he has to work quickly so that Gavin doesn't close himself off entirely. "I don't have a lot. I have my work, and I have my colleagues at the DPD. And…I have you." Gavin tenses at his confession, but Nines hurries onward. "You do add value to my life. Most of the time. So I guess what I'm trying to say is…thank you for bringing me here with you today." It's indirect. It's the only language Gavin understands. It's the only thing he can say, for now.

"You're welcome," comes the quiet, almost inaudible response from Gavin. Nines doesn’t need any other words to understand that the feeling is mutual, even if Gavin would never admit it. He reaches out, daring to touch, daring to hold Gavin's hands resting lightly on his knees, and for the briefest moment, Gavin squeezes back. Their eyes meet and linger for a moment too long before Gavin jumps away.

"We should get back to the station. I'll drop you off," Gavin says, sliding off the hood of the car and heading into the driver's seat. Nines doesn't move off the hood of the car.

"We can't do that, Detective," Nines looks over his shoulder. "I still have six hours left to spend in this car."

"Are you still on that? Dammit, Nines--" Gavin throws his hands up. "We can cut it short a few hours. I won't tell anybody, and we can say you did the full day, but nobody's going to give a shit--"

"I thought you understood that my moral code won't allow me to do that." Nines tries to think of a solution. "I could drop you off at your house and then remain in the car for the duration."

"No. Absolutely not," Gavin tries to tug Nines off the hood, and Nines follows this time, and true to his word, his fingertips stay on the car as he climbs into the backseat again, legs hanging out the side. "Not after seeing you drive like you stole it. No, you're never going to be alone in my car, in control of my car, or be anywhere near my car after this. Move it." Nines tucks his legs in and Gavin climbs in after him. "We can finish up the last six what the fuck ever hours. I'm gonna stay right here and supervise you. Got it?"

"Got it." Nines takes his usual seat in the middle, booting up his mini terminal as Gavin pulls out his phone. Everything is status quo again. The spell is broken. Nines gets to work.

It's a few hours until he feels a light pressure on his shoulder. He turns, intending to brush it off, only to find Gavin asleep, phone unattended in his lap. "Detective Reed?" With no answer, he nudges Gavin with his shoulder. Still nothing. Once again, Gavin has left himself open and vulnerable to Nines. Nines wants to embrace the change. Gavin invading his personal space typically meant a fight. He's never seen Gavin this close without the contortion of anger on his face. Nines doesn't feel like he's in control of his body as he feels the back of his fingers run down Gavin's jawline, the stubble sending waves of feedback and data through Nines' analyzers that will never properly sum up who Gavin truly is as a person. Gavin stirs at the touch, and Nines lets his hand fall away.

"What timesit?" Gavin asks around a yawn.

"5:15. Forty-five more minutes."

"Cool." Gavin tries to blink the sleep from his eyes, but all he feels is a warmth, and he leans into Nines again, his head fitting perfectly into his shoulder. Nines watches in silence, trying to formulate properly what he wants to desperately to do, but in tandem with his preconstructions, Gavin tilts his head up and Nines is drawn in despite himself, and their lips barely brush. Gavin doesn't move, doesn't realize what he's doing until Nines pushes into him, kissing him back, and for the third time that day, Gavin lets his walls come down. It's weird. It's nice. The contradicting thoughts collide in Nines' head and turn into static as he pulls Gavin closer, and Gavin doesn't resist. Nines pulls away, abrupt, he needs to let Gavin _breathe_ he remembers, but Gavin leans up and their lips meet, again and again. It's different than what Gavin's used to. There's no teeth, no force, but there is a want all the same. And as quickly as it starts, they separate, and Nines finds that he hates the lack of the natural warmth. Gavin just gives Nines a sleepy smile. "Me too, thanks," he says, curling onto Nines' form again, and Nines is left alone, his LED pulsing red in the dark.

* * *

 "Good morning, Nines." Connor greets Nines the next morning, polite as always.

"Hello, Connor." Nines says, and Connor falls in step with him.

"How did your day in the car go? Did you make it?"

"I did. All twenty-four hours of it," Nines leaves it at that.

"Where is Detective Reed? Did he drop you off?" Nines is about to answer Connor's question when they hear Hank yelling.

"Oi! Get outta here, Reed, our overtime ended already!"

"Yeah, yeah, I left some of my shit here, fuck off!" Gavin yells back. Connor doesn't miss the way Nines sits up a little straighter. Gavin doesn't look at Nines, making himself look busy at his desk, and Nines slowly deflates. When their eyes meet, Gavin tosses a balled up sticky note at Nines, who lets it fall on his desk. Nines stares at it before realizing Gavin’s still standing there, waiting,, and he snatches it up, unwrapping it with unusual enthusiasm.

 _Boardwalk @ 7?_ _I'm_ _ driving. _

Nines’ quick search reveals Boardwalk to be a bar, specifically created as a space for android and humans to gather. It’s definitely not within walking distance of the station. "Gavin!" Nines tries out his first name. He likes the way it tastes out loud. "Let's go."

Gavin grins as he walks out of the precinct backwards. "Me too, thanks!"

**Author's Note:**

> I don't know how this happened. I don't even like Gavin Reed or care about Nines but HERE I AM, IN A PAIRING I SWORE TO NEVER BE A PART OF HURRRRRRRRR I have nothing to say for myself lol
> 
> Anyway, I stole the original premise from episode 01x13 of Brooklyn 99 called The Bet. I s2g everything in that show works for some pairing in DBH. I wrote 4 different endings for this before going OKAY FUCK THIS SHIT I'M LITERALLY INCAPABLE OF DOING THIS WELL so. If you got any better ways to end it plz leave a comment ;_; Also FYI the me too thanks thing is a meme (just like this entire fic) but apparently it's pretty obscure and not a lot of people know it, so I apologize if it confused anybody. 
> 
> As always, any thoughts, comments, mistakes that you caught are completely appreciated. Find me at keepleaves.tumblr.com or @keepleavesp2 on Twitter if you want to chat.


End file.
